


Misinterpreted

by fictorium



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Femslash, One Shot, References to Sex Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 02:23:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13940580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictorium/pseuds/fictorium
Summary: A lazy lie-in, but Vanessa's careless comment is taken the wrong way. Still, Charity always shakes these things off, right?





	Misinterpreted

**Author's Note:**

> CW: references to prostitution.
> 
> Oops, in the mess with AO3 the other day the proper fandom and pairing tags weren't applied. Hope this works now!

“We should get up,” Vanessa protests as Charity makes her way slowly back up the bed, or more specifically up Vanessa’s body, kissing and nipping everywhere she sees fit en route. “I might be a lady of leisure today, but I’m not having Chas blaming me for you starting another shift late. You should get down there.”

“I just did. Are you really turning down another round of that?” Charity is put out, as she usually is when nudged towards something she doesn’t want to do. “Your loss, babe.”

“It’s not my fault you’ve got a Saturday shift.” Vanessa stretches as Charity falls into place beside her, arm still draped possessively over her waist. “But if you keep cutting out, Chas might actually fire you. Then where will you be? Thought your days of being a kept woman were long gone.”

If they’d been further apart she’d have missed it, but there’s no mistaking the way Charity stiffens.

“Is that what you think?”

“What?” Maybe there is time for another go round, Vanessa thinks as she feels the pleasant burn in her thigh muscles. There’s something decadent about a Saturday morning in bed. She usually volunteers to be on call and let Rhona have the weekend clear, but lately they’ve switched back to a rota.

“That I’m after your... vet money, or whatever? Right, I get it. Let’s not forget you quite like coming in the pub and not having to put your hand in your pocket all night.” Now there’s space between them, Charity rolling over so far that she almost falls out of her own bed. “Well it happens that’s not what I’m after, but don’t let the facts get in the way, eh? I knew you fancied yourself a bit, but this just takes the cake.”

“Charity-”

“No, no, I see how it is.” She’s getting wound up for a proper rant now, the peace of the morning shattering with every word. “Don’t matter what I’ve told you, about not wanting you with other folk, or us being girlfriends. As long as it’s me, I’ve gotta have an angle. Playing you, so why not for money, eh? I knew I should have kept my gob shut over all that stuff with Tracy, but this is what I get for playing the sisterhood card, right?”

“Okay, clearly you weren’t getting enough oxygen to your brain while you were-”

“Just leave it, yeah? I’m getting a shower. Why don’t you go enjoy your leisure, Ness?” Charity levels the word like an accusation. “Just leave the money on the bedside table, yeah? I haven’t updated my rates for 2018 yet, but I’m sure you’ll put what’s fair.”

Strutting nude out into the hall, Charity is in the bathroom next door a second later, slamming the door behind her. Vanessa considers a moment, getting up and gathering her clothes from where they fell last night. Peeking out into the hall, there’s no sign of other Dingles around. One of the perks of Charity having the former attic to herself.

“Sure you don’t want company?” She calls to the closed door. The only answer is the water coming on full force.

Well, sod her. Vanessa can’t take responsiblity for every fit of temper, and she’s got better things to be doing with her Saturday, quite frankly. What was all that even about, anyway? Ducking back into the bedroom, she pulls her clothes on in a hurry, ready for the scurry of shame out the side door of the bar.

It’ll all be forgotten by tea time.

***

The early hours of Sunday morning bring an emergency foal to deliver, and Vanessa is running on fumes by the time she gets through the morning with Johnny and hands him off to Rhona at lunchtime. By the time she hits the Woolpack she is, frankly, gasping for a pint.

She should take the hint when Charity doesn’t come darting out of her corner to serve, especially when there’s no one else waiting at the bar. Eventually Chas comes over instead, tutting loudly at Charity on her way.

“Pint, was it?”

“Go on, yeah.”

“Charity? Your girlfriend’s dying of thirst over here.”

A grunt of acknowledgment, then Charity slinks over and pulls the pint, setting it down hard enough to crack the glass. “That’ll be £3.40.”

“Uh...” Oh god, has she really still got a cob on about...? Fine. Vanessa pulls a fiver out of her pocket and slides it across the bar. “Keep the change.”

By the time she takes a seat, Charity is round the bar and scattering coins across the table in front of Vanessa. “I don’t need tips.”

“Well, you don’t usually make me pay, either, since we... you know. What is going on with you?”

“Can’t stop. If I get my pay docked for skiving you might think I’m after your overtime. Since you were out fondling pigs or whatever in the middle of the night.”

“Birthing a foal, you mean. Been asking what I was up to, have you?” Vanessa’s getting properly narked now. It was one thing when Charity was just in a mood, but this is beyond a joke.

“Oh sorry, is it just my time we have to account for? Good to know. Listen, next time you want some, call ahead, yeah? If I’m open for business again, I’ll have to start taking on more clients.”

“You’ve finally flipped haven’t you?” Vanessa takes a hearty mouthful of her pint, not trusting herself to say more. She barely sets it down before Charity is pulling her in back. The fact that nobody bats an eyelid says maybe they’ve been disappearing upstairs a bit too often.

“So, what’ll it be today?” Charity’s eyes are darker, her teeth bared when she speaks. It finally clicks for Vanessa then. In her state of half-listening, of dismissing half of what Charity says as melodrama, she’s missed the fact that Charity is genuinely hurt. All this talk of pay and services, well, that had been about Tracy, hadn’t it? 

Only Vanessa’s heard the rumors, heard the digs from the men in Charity’s life at various points. She’s conveniently overlooked it until now, but the reality is staring her down.

“Oh bloody hell.”

Charity just watches, suspicious. Her shoulders are hunched in on themselves, but her fingers are clenching into fists, tense and release.

“Since you’ve clearly taken whatever I said totally the wrong way, let me clear one thing up.” Vanessa risks a step closer, taking one of Charity’s hands in both of hers. She rubs a thumb over the back of Charity’s hand and she relaxes, just a little. “You are my girlfriend, Charity. This is a relationship between two equal women, you got that? Nobody’s keeping anyone, or looking down on anyone, or treating anyone like the hired whatever.”

“You sure about that?”

“What gets me is if Cain had said it, or Ross, or hell, even Joe Tate, you’d just have given as good as you got. Why is it with me you got all sulky?”

“Dunno.” Charity tries to pull away, but Vanessa is ready for that. She pulls Charity into a kiss, watching her the whole time to make sure she’s still okay with it. The moment their lips meet it’s on, all possessive and breathless and grabbing at each other in a way that threatens to tear the flimsy layers they’re wearing.

“Is it because,” Vaness murmurs against her neck. “You actually care what I think of you?”

“Shut up,” Charity fires back, but it loses any venom as it trails off into a moan. “And get upstairs, yeah?”

Vanessa doesn’t point out that Charity’s working, that Chas will no doubt come knocking on the bedroom door within the hour in a right mood, doesn’t try to take responsiblity for the parts of Charity’s life that don’t belong to her.

“Come on then,” Vanessa says, leading them upstairs as she pushes Charity’s jacket from her shoulders. “Let me make it up to you. And then after, I think we've got some stuff to talk about.”

Charity looks for a moment like she'll argue, that familiar pride straightening her shoulders and hardening her expression. But Vanessa hangs in there, holding her hands and waiting, until Charity relents. "Yeah, I think we'd better had."

**Author's Note:**

> It's just a first pass at them, it usually takes a couple to get a proper feel for it. But oh, it's nice writing in British English again!


End file.
